Witching Hour
by EllaNight
Summary: "Beckett, they all saw it. Even Lily, who is much more like you with her logical mind, by the way. How do you explain that?" - Set some time post season 8. My first contribution to the Castle Halloween Bash. One-Shot.


**A/N: My first contribution to the Castle Halloween Bash. I hope you enjoy!**

* * *

The first time it happened, she was certain it had been her imagination, a strong gust of wind, an air vent, or something. Everyone always told her she was the spitting image of her mother, and her calculating rationality was no exception. Lily Castle was far too old to believe in magic, though she'd never tell her younger brothers that. She liked that they still believed.

So when the glass of water on the desk flew across the room as her best friend Laurie started screaming at her, their fight escalating, she didn't think anything of it. It was weird, but not unexplainable.

She also never thought much of the time she managed to unlock the door without a key, her frustration leading her to wrestle with the door impatiently until it suddenly unlocked on its own. It had probably only been stuck in the first place.

It wasn't until the past few weeks, that she'd really started questioning whether something was wrong with her. Her brothers were a month away from starting their first year of school. Jake and Reece definitely got on her nerves sometimes but she loves them fiercely, vowed to her parents that she'd look out for them during the day.

For now, they still had a week left at summer camp and she looked after her brothers just the same as she would in school. So when one of the other kids, one of the mean ones, tried to push Jake off of the monkey bars on the playground, panic flared inside her, a knot twisting her insides as she realized she was too far away to do anything to help. She screamed out his name, tried to warn him and the next thing she knew the ground was shaking, the metal bars of the play structure twisting, expanding as if they were made of play-doh, swinging the bully who tried to push Jake off. He shrieked in fear, holding on to the still moving metal bar for dear life as it swung him above the play-ground. It looked as though it was attempting to shake him off. Lily continued to look on with wide eyes, disbelieving.

How was this possible? She had to be dreaming.

But she looked on, couldn't tear her eyes away and he continued to swing from the bars until suddenly he was flicked off, not too high from the ground but high enough to scare him. He took off running the second he was able to get up, putting as much distance between him and the play-ground. It didn't look like Antoine would be bothering Jake any time soon.

The boys had been so excited to tell their parents when they got home from school. Mom hadn't bought into it, but Dad thought it was pretty cool, siding with the boys that anything was possible. But everyone at the table had been surprised when Lily hadn't denied it.

"It's true," she said. "I couldn't believe it but... It really happened like that," she admitted, looking mostly at her mom, knowing she was the one she had to convince.

"Huh," their dad had mused. "Maybe there really is such a thing as magic after all." He'd looked over at their mom with that teasing, challenging look in his eyes but she just rolled her eyes as she usually did, not buying into it, despite Lily's testimony.

"I'll believe it when I see it," she shrugged, shaking her head at the boys' protest, begging her to believe. "Besides, this, right here," she said, pointing to each one of them. "That's all the magic you'll ever need."

Jake and Reese had groaned in unison, calling her cheesy and faking gagging noises until their dad stopped them.

She doesn't blame her mom, though. To be honest she still wasn't sure she believed it herself and she'd seen it with her own two eyes.

* * *

"So, you think one of our kids is developing super powers?" Castle asks later that night, setting the book down in his lap as Kate makes her way from the bathroom to the bed. They've put the kids down for the night, read from one of their favorite story books and then tucked them in one at a time.

"I _think_ our kids inherited your wild imagination and they believe what they want to believe," she says, rational as ever, pulling back the comforter so she can get into bed beside him.

"Beckett they all saw it. Even Lily, who is much more like you with her logical mind, by the way. How do you explain that?"

Kate sighs, making the mistake of indulging him for a second. "How would you explain it?"

"Super strength. No, no, kinetic powers. Wait, actually the way they described it sounded more like something out of X-Men... controlling metal like that guy Magneto!" he snaps his fingers at that last one because apparently it sounds more plausible to him that the other two explanations. Kate shakes her head at him.

"They aren't mutants, Castle. They are just kids with a Dad who tells really good stories."

"Kate," he says her name seriously, although she knows him well enough to know that what he's about to say is probably that farthest thing from serious. "Some kid was annoying Jake. It was a _trigger_. Think about it! That's how almost all super heroes discover their powers."

"Speaking of, it sounded like that wasn't the first time this kid Antoine was going after Jake. Should we be worried?" She sees his demeanor change almost instantly. He doesn't take well to one of their kids being a potential victim of bullying.

"I know. Reece mentioned something about him last week. But Jake has been pretty quiet about it. Maybe you could go all badass mommy cop on him like you did that one time to the girl who stuck gum in Lily's hair." The memory tugs at the corner of her lips, pulling a smile from her, but she doesn't think they should go that far if they can avoid it.

"I think we should talk to Jake, figure out what exactly is going on. If he won't talk, Reece will. And then we can decide what to do?"

Castle leans over, cups one of her cheeks in his hand, and surprises her with a kiss. It's hungry yet languid at once, the stroke of his tongue at the roof of her mouth, the gentle nip of his teeth at her bottom lip. It lights a flame in the pit of her stomach, want pooling in her midsection as he sips from her lips. They haven't had time to do this in three days, and that's usually a long time for them.

"You're such a good mom," he mumbles when they part for air and Kate laughs.

"That turn you on, Castle?" She quirks an eyebrow at the question and he waggles his suggestively.

"You know it does," he admits, unapologetic in the least, and she just shakes her head at him.

"You're incorrigible," she sighs, though they both know it's just for show.

"I don't seem to recall you complaining too often about this over the past ten years," he challenges because they both know it's true. Her desire for him most definitely rivals his.

Sometimes it takes her by surprise that they've been doing this dance for more than ten years, that their little girl is almost eleven now. But she wouldn't want it with anyone else.

"You're right. You won't find me complaining unless you don't follow through on your suggestions," she teases and it has the effect she was hoping for. He reaches for her without sparing a second, laying a kiss to her jaw, the closest part of her body his lips will reach.

"Never any need to worry about that, Kate," he answers, draping his body over hers and showing her just as how much the fact that she's an amazing mother to their children turns him on.

* * *

Things get busy in the next couple weeks. School is about to start up again and Lily loves this time of year, just like her sister Alexis did. It means school supply shopping. She can get new sets of binders, new highlighters and pencils. Jake and Reece don't mind as much, they hate shopping and so it's usually just her and her Dad who go out to the stores to find supplies for the new school year. That's the plan for today.

Castle is going to drop off the twins at uncle Ryan's place with Jenny so that they can play with Sarah-Grace and Nicholas for the afternoon while she and her dad continue their yearly tradition for school supplies.

Lily's excited about it, couldn't go back to sleep when she'd woken up to go to the washroom and so she figured she'd just read a book until it's time to go.

"Hey, Lil, you're up early?" Kate asks when she comes out of the office to notice her daughter already up, dressed for the day and reading on the couch.

"Couldn't sleep," Lily shrugs, putting the book down on the table to join her Mom in the kitchen.

"Too excited about today?" she guesses, knowing how much Lily loves the tradition she's created with her dad. She isn't surprised when her daughter nods. "You'll have to show me everything you get when I come back from the precinct. Have an amazing day, sweetheart," she kisses Lily's forehead before heading towards the door, stopping to put on her boots and that's when Kate notices something on the ground by the door. The loft isn't usually kept as tidy as she and Castle would like but they make sure the kids always clean up after they're done playing with anything. As she gets closer, she realizes it's a letter.

Her brow furrows in confusion because they don't usually have any mail that comes up to the level of the loft: they pick it up downstairs. Not to mention, it should have been left outside, if anything, not slipped under the door. She reaches for the letter and is surprised to find her daughter's name on it.

Her cop instincts have her pausing for a second, wondering who this could possibly be and if there could be any malice behind it. But it doesn't look harmful, in fact... It looks a little bit familiar.

Only... It can't be what she's thinking. Unless this is Castle's doing?

"Hey Lil?" she calls out, to her daughter who has returned to the living room to continue her book. "There's a letter here for you."

"Really?" Lily asks, excited by the news. It's rare that the kids get any mail and anything addressed to their name is a big deal at their age.

"A letter?" Kate hears Rick ask as he comes out of the office, his face still rumpled with sleep and just as confused by her words. "Aren't those usually left downstairs?"

"Yeah, I'm not sure how it got here," she admits just as Lily approaches and reaches for the letter. She tries to shoot Rick a questioning look, silently asking if he knows anything about this but he seems just as clueless. Intrigued, he joins them at the door.

He gasps when he reads the inscriptions on the front of the letter but Kate quickly hits his shoulder, because of course, she noticed the familiarity of it too.

 _Miss Lily Castle_ _  
_ _The bedroom up the stairs to the left_ _  
_ _425 Broome Street_

 _New York_

But Lily doesn't make a move to open it right away. She can't take her eyes off of the words. She knows this pattern, has seen a letter that looks almost the same as this one only addressed to someone else. But it's a movie; it's isn't real. It can't be.

She flips it over to look at the seal, expecting to find an "H" in the melted wax holding the envelope closed, but that's not what she finds. It's an "I".

Curious now, she opens the envelope gently, doesn't want to risk ripping it and her heart beats fast in her chest as she unfolds the letter inside

 _Dear Miss Castle_ _  
_ _We are pleased to inform you that you have been accepted at Ilvermorny School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Please find the enclosed list of all necessary books and equipment._

 _Term begins on Sept. 1_ _st_ _. We await your owl no later than July 31_ _st_ _._

By the time she's finished reading it her hands are shaking. This can't... be real. They are _movies_. She doesn't have any powers, and certainly no one in her family has been down this path.

She spins on her feet to face her parents, a million questions buzzing through her mind. Her Mom wears an expression of shock but her Dad's face is brimming with excitement.

They don't speak for a long moment, none of them sure what to say, how to react, until Castle can't seem to help himself any longer.

"Is no one else going to say it?" He asks, his eyes gleaming and his voice an octave higher than usual. "You're a witch!" He exclaims, the excitement and joy in his voice barely contained. "Our daughter's a witch!"

* * *

 **A/N: I'd love to know what you all thought. I'll be posting a second fic for the Halloween Bash in a couple of days, so stay tuned! - Zoe**

 _Twitter: ZoeKeller_

 _Tumblr: zkalways_


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